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The Little Mermaid 3D Blu-ray Review

Updated: Apr 8, 2023

MOVIE REVIEW

The Little Mermaid is a 1989 Disney animated feature about a young mermaid named Arial. She has an obsession with humans which her father despises. But when she rescues a man from an giant storm in the ocean, she immediately falls in love with him. Anxious to see the man again (his name is Prince Eric by the way), against her better judgment, Arial strikes a deal with a sea witch named Ursula who'll turn her into a human for three days in exchange for her voice. If she can kiss the prince by the sunset of the third day, she can remain human forever. But if not, she'll have to give Ursula her due payment.

At this point in time, The Little Mermaid is remembered as a classic amongst millennials along the same vein as Beauty and the Beast and The Lion King. However, having not grown up with the film though, I can only take it for what I see of it delving into it for the first time. And true, The Little Mermaid isn't quite as polished as the Beauty and the Beast or as grand as The Lion King. But in its own right, it's a very delightful movie and certainly top-tier Disney.

What's not to love about this film? The animation is absolutely stellar and it holds up very well today. The colors are bright and pop right out at you, the designs are instantly iconic, and the motions are well and fluid for a 2D animated cartoon. The songs by Alan Menken and Howard Ashman (God bless his soul) are excellent and beyond catchy. And the soundtrack that accompanies remains just as good. For a movie that doesn't feature a family of royal lions or a big grand castle with lots of talking furniture, the amount of effort they put into the music really shines. The song Under the Sea will be stuck in my head for days to come, and the song Part of Your World is simply the definition of beauty (which makes it even more sad when they exploit it for the sake of nostalgia in the trailer of the remake coming next month).

As for the characters, there're plenty of likable figures here. Sebastian the crab plays it pretty Cogsworth-esque, but he carries his own type charm to the role. Ursula makes for an genuinely threatening but also upbeat and enjoyable villain. King Triton, while does sell the intimidating and overprotective father figure type he is, he is also portrayed as a pretty loving and admirable character in the grand scheme of things. And all the other characters play their parts in distinct and very diverting ways. And it lends itself very well to not just the story, but the comedy as well, which is also well executed. The story itself is also very engaging and told in a very and diverting way. There's never a boring scene, and the pacing is virtually perfect. And there are times where because of that, the movie can even get with the occasional scene of Sebastian running from a chef and you wouldn't hardly notice or care that the movie has temporarily hit pause. The movie is that entertaining.

I think the major problem some people have with the movie is mainly two-fold: 1. Some people see Arial as shallow and 2. The plot hinges on a quick romance between our main lead and Prince Eric. As for the first issue, I never really seemed to notice or even really care. Yes, her view of love isn't realistic or in any way healthy. But personally, I think it works well with her charming personality. She's clearly determined, she has motivations and goals, and she will do whatever she can to attain those goals. And along the way, she's never afraid to smile or sing cheerfully, that is until her ability to use the latter action gets taken away in the movie's second half. The second issue does have plenty of validity to it. But even then, I wasn't bothered by it all that much. While the romance is pretty pivotal to the story and it doesn't develop in a way that wouldn't come to good fruition in the real world, it's not something that requires too much suspension of disbelief for it to be enjoyed. The chemistry on display between our main couple still works well enough, and that makes it difficult not to root for Arial and Eric to end up together.

Animated Disney films have always been known for their groundbreaking animation techniques and how they make everything look very appealing. But they've also been known for telling creative and entertaining stories in ways that will have a great impact on the viewer. The Little Mermaid combines both of these elements in a way that makes an absolutely delightful feature for kids and adults alike. Sure, some of the Disney films that came later probably carried more believable stories with them. But as for the start of the Disney Renaissance, I think it's fair to say that this movie got it on the ground running. Even to this day, millennial or non-millennial, The Little Mermaid has much to offer and will seldom leave anyone without them having a very solid time.


OVERALL FILM RATING: 4/5


3D REVIEW

2D animated to 3D rendered movies from Disney have always been a bit controversial. When The Lion King first got its 3D re-release, everybody flocked to see it, but the opinions on how the 3D played out were pretty divided. Similar reviews came out with Beauty and the Beast and its 3D re-release, but it ended up earning less at the box office than The Lion King. As for my opinion goes on both films and their 3D, I think The Lion King is a lot of fun in the third dimension and has some very deep shots, but Beauty and the Beast fairs slightly better because of all the artistic and gorgeous details in the film the 3D really brings out. Anyways, The Little Mermaid was planned for a wide theatrical 3D re-release just like the previous two films. But due to how unpopular 3D was becoming with those films, the only big-screen treatment it got was a limited release in a few select theaters. It was then quietly dropped to home media on 3D Blu-ray. It's honestly a real shame that was the case because of all the three 2D animated Disney films to receive the 3D treatment, The Little Mermaid might just be the best, or at least one of the most fun.

As far as the depth in this film goes, it might not have some of the vast views that make The Lion King special in 3D. But a lot like Beauty and the Beast, the frame is full of majestic details that make for a fantastic view in the third dimension. And part of that has to with the fact that a good chunk of the movie takes place in the ocean, which of course always works well in 3D. "Under the sea", little things like underwater plants, foliage, and bubbles all exist in their own 3D space, and they give off such strange shapes which makes them quite mesmerizing to see. And often times, the choreography almost makes it seem like the scenes were made with 3D in mind, even though we know better. Inside ships, caves, and underwater castles, the depth, while subtle, is very stellar, capturing the shapes and sizes of these often surreal structures. The many highlights in this area are in too great number to count. But I'll try my best to recount some of the more memorable ones. In King Triton's underwater castle, we get a very big setting with crowds of mer-people, clams on stage, and cartoony shaped animals popping in and out of the screen. And in the depth doesn't cease to shine in the few other scenes involving this castle. In fact, there's one shot with pillars that while appears slight warped, still makes for great 3D composition. Shots looking up to the surface of the ocean carry good depth and composition to them. Caves are also prime rib for 3D in this movie, with places like Ursula's fortress having every last detail brought out in full three-dimensional glory, and that includes even a few pretty freaky shots involving Ursula's poor unfortunate souls. One very interesting place where the 3D shines is in Arial's private cave where she collects human relics. Not only do the objects in the screen take up their own proper space, but the overall shape of the cave is circular with an small circular opening at the top. This makes plenty of the shots in the cave really stand out from many of the rest, and that's saying a lot.

Even above water where the depth isn't quite as impressive or as well utilized, the sights we see are still very much worth seeing. The opening shot of the film features a couple of birds flying through the sky. Then, the camera is placed directly on the ocean next to a few dolphins right as a ship comes out of nowhere and starts heading right towards you. All of these elements are in their own proper place and have the proper shapes. But of course, the composition of it all makes the 3D applied all the more immersive. With scenes involving ships, be it in storms, on fire, or both, the camera angles more often than not always allow the shape of and shapes on the giant vessels to shine. On land, settings like the beach, the town, the inside and the castle all look more dazzling with the added depth. One of the more interesting uses of 3D I found here was in a dinner scene in a room where the walls were all windows. In it, you could not only tell where the wall was, but you had the deep landscape stretching far into the background, making the 3D all the more "delicious" so I say. And of course, a musical number that occurs when Eric and Arial are sitting in a boat about to take their first kiss strongly benefits from 3D with the presence of shooting water, a flat water surface, trees, in some shots, a thin white vein made of veins. There's many more examples places where the 3D is absolutely beautiful. But I think by now, you get the idea.

So of course, the scenery in The Little Mermaid is gorgeous. But I'm also happy to say that the film also utilizes many of the foreground elements to its advantage. Like I said before, the ocean works super well with 3D movies. Not only does it allow for some surreal backgrounds, but it also makes the fish and foliage moving around the frame to appear more interesting. And that's exactly the case here. Throughout the film, mermaids, fish, bubbles, sharks, foliage, and more all move around the screen all the time and in mannerisms that make their debut in 3D not just mesmerizing, but also very fun. And sometimes, part of what makes it so fun is the cartoony nature of it all. And with the conversion pulled off here, all of it comes off smooth. With The Lion King and Beauty and the Beast, one of the few problems I had with their 3D was how sometimes, character structures and foreground objects which were created with 2D in mind, can look a bit strange when converted into 3D. For example, a lot of times in The Lion King, the lions would often be huge and take up most of the frame whenever they're in a scene. If you know the lions' designs, you'll remember they leave a lot of areas on their fur that have no detail and are just filled in yellow. In 2D, this is means nothing. But in 3D, the places that are straight yellow have almost no depth to them, leaving the only parts of them that do carry depth to be their body outlines. The resulting effect doesn't damper the experience much, but it does make the characters appear a bit off. And less often but in a similar manner, this kind of thing also appeared in Beauty and the Beast. However, with The Little Mermaid, everything as detailed as it is from all the little fish to Triton's trident to Ursula's tentacles to the countless bubbles on display, this issue was virtually non-existent, save for a couple brief select moments. Even Arial's tail and hair seem to carry volume and solidity against the 2D design.

And the action the movie packs is a lot of fun. Early on, we see Arial and Flounder getting chased by a shark all throughout a ship. Sebastian and other related sea creatures pull off a few catchy musical numbers with swift fast motions all across the screen. On land when Sebastian runs from a chef, the fluid motions continue to fill the screen. The bigger 3D highlights, though, include a musical number in which Ursula creates a vortex of light all around Arial after she signs a contract, ships in the middle of a storm with everything from fire to debris filling the scenery, and the climatic showdown involving numerous ships, an enormous whirlpool, a gigantic Ursula, big waves, lightning, and lots of rain. There's one pretty interesting usage of 3D that occurs when two menacing whales look at Arial with their working eye. The two images then collide together into a single image which zooms out and is shown to be part of Ursula's crystal ball. As far as pop outs go, they may not be quite as frequent or draw as much attention to themselves as you'd want. But for a post-converted film like this, I'd say there's plenty to still enjoy. Like I said earlier, there's a shot where a ship charges out at you. And in the same shot, you get waves and dolphins floating off the screen. At the height of the film's fun, you get everything from an Ursula waving her finger at you, a shark charging towards you, plenty of water and bubbles, ships, Arial's face and hair, of course the swimming sea creatures from earlier including Sebastian, Flounder, and many more, some souls in jars getting thrown out of the screen, and a butcher you'll want to dodge a couple times. But even in the more subtle moments, characters faces and other surrounding objects occasionally protrude the screen. Either way, in or out of the screen, The Little Mermaid has more than enough to keep you engaged.

The Little Mermaid is only an 82 minute movie, and I've already written more about its 3D than I have about the 125 minute Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania. Well, I guess that's how you now you have a true 3D winner on your hand. On the surface, this would seem like just another thoughtless cash grab 3D conversion. But upon going into it, not only is it the cleanest of the three 2D animated to 3D cartoons I've seen yet, but it also probably benefits the most from the 3D conversion with its ocean setting to all of its fluid action and little details. Since my viewing of the film up until getting to this review, I was pretty on the ball whether or not to give this a "great" or and "excellent" rating. On one hand, yes, this movie was made with 2D in mind and in the grand scheme of things, doesn't need to be experienced in 3D. But on the other hand, the 3D only adds so much to it that to not give it its due credit would be a borderline sin. I think due to the former reasoning, and the fact that there are better 3D movies out there, I'll give it a rating of "great." But still, if you can pick this one up, it's strongly recommended you go ahead and do so. This is one 3D conversion that was definitely worth the effort, though it'll probably also be a painful reminder how much of a shame it is that these types of 3D conversions went out of style before anyone thought about picking up The Prince of Egypt or The Hunchback of Notre Dame and giving them the conversions they desperately deserve.


3D RATING: GREAT



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FINAL THOUGHTS


The Little Mermaid is an all around fun movie that families have enjoyed for at least 30 years now and will hopefully enjoy for another 30 more. It's certainly one of Disney Animation's better movie with its great songs, fluid animation, and likable characters. I'm pretty by now, most of you have already seen this movie at some point in your lives, so I won't really waste much more time talking about it. All I can say is if you haven't checking it out, it's well worth doing so. And if you're a 3D enthusiast, then the 3D Blu-ray will definitely be your preferred way to watch the movie. It's an unexpectedly fun surprise that offers all the depth, pop outs, action, and all around slick looking 3D visuals one could want from a film like this. Does it rank among some of the best ever 3D movies of all time? Maybe not. But does it rank as one of the greatest 2D to 3D conversions we've seen? Most definitely. If you have the time and money to check to experience this piece of 3D wonder, be sure to put it on your wish list. And that's all I have to say about this little 1989 gem. Of course, the elephant in the room now is the Disney live-action remake their putting out in May. I don't know if I've said it before, but I have actually seen the trailer for the film in 3D and I have to admit, the results do actually look pretty fantastic and almost make up for the drab color palette on display. I do think that the 3D version of the final film will look at the least good when it comes out. But I say when you have the original version at home, why bother with the soulless remake? Especially when the original already has top-notch 3D? Yeah, I guess if Disney wants to bring in the 3D enthusiasts, they may have shot themselves in the foot with that one.


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